Chapter 19: I’ve Dubbed Too Much…

In which I chart the evolution of Too Much Too Young by The Specials and share another dub.

Hello 2025!

This wasn’t supposed to be my first post of the year, and it sure as hell wasn’t supposed to go live in February, but I began work on what I could best describe as an elongated edit, or maybe a preposterously long disco-dub to accompany an in-depth anniversary piece I wrote back in December, and I’ve not found the time to finish it. I promise it’ll be in your inboxes imminently though, even if I missed the anniversary date for the track in question by a long shot.

In the meantime I’ve been trying to make ends meet by writing elsewhere, with my head down as I leaf through memoirs and interviews, digging up minuscule details like a deranged dub obsessive. The first of which — a piece celebrating 45 years since The Specials reached number 1 with ‘Too Much Too Young’ — went live on The Quietus last week.

If you’ve not read it yet, get comfy, because it’s pretty exhaustive (“exhausting?” you laugh, etc), yet there were still things I failed to find space to mention, and a few clips which we weren’t able to link to, so below is a more straight ahead evolution of ‘Too Much Too Young’ with most of the audio and video clips on the page so you don’t have to keep clicking away.

There’s also a dub mix of Lloyd Charmers for my full subscribers, which I knocked together using a bit of EQ trickery and the magic of tape echo, so grab it from the bottom when you’ve finished reading, or preview it below.

It’s no secret that ‘Too Much Too Young’, or at least the version of ‘Too Much Too Young’ we know and love owes a fair bit to the kinky-reggae of ‘Birth Control’ by Lloyd Tyrell aka Lloyd Charmers, but when people claim it’s based on Tyrell’s track, that’s not strictly true. It’s also been debated which version of Tyrell’s track it’s not exactly based on. In his in-depth history of 2 Tone Too Much Too Young, Daniel Rachel cites the Lloydie and The Lowbites release, but this seems unlikely as it’s a piano-heavy instrumental version, save for some “blue” dialogue over the top, and doesn’t feature the “nuh gimme nuh more pickney” chorus that Dammers later lifted.

Andy Chislehurst AKA champion archivist Birmingham 81 suggested it may have been inspired by the less kinky Byron Lee & The Dragonaires version from 1970. It’s also very possible Tyrell played the organ on this one too, considering Byron Lee and his band backed him on an instrumental LP that same year.

Side note: in 2011, The Specials’ guitarist Lynval Golding and I played the London International Ska Festival together, with a set of 2 Tone favourites mixed up with their influences and originals. When it came to ‘Too Much Too Young’, Lynval got me to drop the first Charmers version of ‘Birth Control’ while toasting over the top. But once again I digress… so don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already, and grab ‘Dub Control’ at the bottom. The timeline begins below this awful photo of me from the afore-mentioned Ska Fest.

L-R Gaz Mayall, me and Lynval Golding at London Intl Ska Festival, April 2011

1977

Jerry Dammers forms the punky-reggae crossover band The Hybrids, who quickly change their name to The Automatics, and ‘Too Much Too Young’ features in the set list of their debut show in October. The group’s vocalist Tim Strickland is soon replaced by Terry Hall from local punk band Squad.

The Automatics early 1978. Pictured L-R Horace Panter, Silverton Hutchinson, Lynval Golding, Terry Hall, Roddy Byers, and Jerry Dammers seated.

1978

The Automatics’ first manager Pete Waterman books them studio time in London, and Dammers ropes in guitarist Roddy Radiation from The Wild Boys. Early versions of various Specials classics are recorded, including ‘Too Much Too Young’ which begins life as a one-drop reggae thing with a hint of Batman in the chorus and an RnB-inspired middle 8. Notably, there’s no sign of ‘Birth Control’ in this first version. In fact they perform a straight up cover version of ‘Birth Control’ elsewhere in their early sets.

After sacking Waterman, The Automatics join The Clash’s On Parole tour and, a few dates in, they change their name to The Specials, recruiting roadie Neville Staple as a vocalist after they hear him toasting during soundcheck. Photographer Mick Geoghagen catches them in action at the Top Rank in Birmingham which I’ve included in the clip above.

1979

January

With their new drummer John Bradbury in tow, The Specials record their debut single ‘Gangsters’. ‘Too Much Too Young’ is intended for the b-side but they’re not happy with how it turns out and ditch it in favour of an instrumental previously recorded by Brad and Neol Davies who will soon form The Selecter.

April

It’s not clear exactly when Dammers came up with the idea, but at some point between ‘78 and early ‘79 he ditched the cover of ‘Birth Control’ and inserted Tyrell’s “nuh gimme nuh more pickney” chorus into the instrumental spaces of ‘Too Much Too Young’. The earliest example I can find is a live show recorded in Birmingham in April 1979. The one drop rhythm from the original demo remains, but the added ‘Birth Control’ sections give the song a new lease of life, and there’s the new addition of Staple scraping a guiro behind the beat.

May

The Specials appear at The Moonlight Club where they’re caught on tape via Decca Studios next door to the venue. ‘Too Much Too Young’ features the same arrangement as the Birmingham show which was only a few days prior, but the sound quality is obviously much clearer. A bootleg of this show would go on to sell almost as well as the debut Specials album.

Later in May, the band pop into Maida Vale studios to record a Peel Session. Same arrangement again, but without Staple scraping his guiro. It’s also the first opportunity to hear them playing the “pickney” version of ‘Too Much Too Young’ in a studio environment.

June

With ‘Gangsters’ singles selling like hotcakes, the major labels come calling, and The Specials sign a label deal with Chrysalis before hitting the road around the UK, plus a few festivals in Europe. On the 16th they’re recorded at the hallowed Factory in Manchester’s Russell Club. ‘Too Much Too Young’ sounds similar again, but Neville’s scraper is back, and Brad sounds like he’s gagging to break into a steppers beat around 22 seconds in.

August-September

After a long summer of gigs, The Specials enter The Who’s Ramport studio in Battersea to record an album with Elvis Costello at the controls. ‘Too Much Too Young’ is laid down with the follow up single in mind, but it’s decided that the cavernous live room at Ramport is too sterile to capture The Specials’ roughneck sound, so they uproot to the “cramped and very funky” TW Studio in Fulham.

The studio experience is a revelation for Terry Hall’s vocals. Suddenly able to hear himself properly as he records overdubs, there’s a new found subtlety to Hall’s delivery, especially on the slower/spacious version of ‘Too Much Too Young’. Brad finally goes full steppers at this slower tempo, though the frenetic rimshots which scatter around the beat give it a raw energy and drive which was missing from the previous arrangement.

They also record for an extra 4 minutes after a false ending. It’s almost a dub version, with Hall sounding more fragile and forlorn as the song goes on, and feels like it could continue way beyond the sudden fade at 6 minutes.

October

The Specials appear on The Old Grey Whistle Test, performing a speedier version of the album arrangement which Terry claims “should’ve been our next single, but they wouldn’t play it on the radio”, yet here they are playing it on TV.

Later in the month the band take a trip to Belgium to appear on Follies. It’s subtle but this version feels harder than the Old Grey Whistle Test.

November

After a few weeks on the road with the 2 Tone tour, The Specials play a homecoming gig at Tiffany’s in Coventry. The BBC are in town to film it for an episode of Arena called Rudies Come Back which doesn’t feature ‘Too Much Too Young’ but you can watch the unused footage below.

1980

January

The same day the Specials fly to NYC to embark on their first US tour, Top Of The Pops airs the video for their new single ‘Too Much Too Young’, a (according to Horace, “fucking fast”) live version recorded at The Lyceum in London during the 2 Tone tour, clocking in at just 2 minutes. Footage from the Tiffany’s gig above is intercut with pick-up shots filmed on a sound stage at Elstree Studios. The BBC sidestep their issue with the lyrical content by cutting it before the “try wearing a cap!” finale.

Around 3am the following night, The Specials take to the stage at the Hurrah club in Manhattan. Jet-lagged and pepped up on dexys, the band deliver a chaotic version of ‘Too Much Too Young’ which is briefly captured on Super 8 by Brian Zabawski.

Incidentally, Dammers clearly liked ‘Birth Control’ enough include the ascending bass and organ riff in the verses of ‘Doesn’t Make It Alright’ which they also perform at Hurrah.

On Jan 29th they wake up in Norman, Oklahoma to discover ‘Too Much Too Young’ is at number 1 in the UK. “It’s ironic that we’re half-way across the world in a country that hasn’t heard of us” Horace enters in his tour diary later that night.

February

The 2 Tone explosion is given the Top Of The Poppers treatment when ‘Too Much Too Young’ is recreated for volume 78 of the Top Of The Pops album series. The session band turn in a functional but decent rendition of the backing track, but the vocals play up to the yob image which is plaguing the 2 Tone scene. ‘My Girl’ by Madness also gets TOTP’d on this LP, and Joe Jackson’s ‘It’s Different For Girls’ which Costello recorded a version of during the Specials LP sessions when they found Jackson’s master tapes in TW Studio.

Allan Crawford, the mastermind behind the Top Of The Pops albums, had previous experience on the UK ska scene, having run the Carnival label back in the ‘60s. In fact he was the first to release a solo single by Dandy Livingstone who I probably don’t need to tell you recorded the original of ‘Rudy A Message To You’.

March

The U.S. tour continues until March 2nd with a farewell show at Speaks in Long Island, introduced by Debbie Harry and including another manic performance of ‘Too Much Too Young’ (around 10 seconds shorter than the single version). They fly home exhausted and needing a break from the 2 Tone circus.

April

The Specials fly back to New York to play ‘Gangsters’ and ‘Too Much Too Young’ on Saturday Night Live. It’s a visceral and angsty performance with the band close to trashing their gear on the tiny stage. For most in the U.S. this will be their first taster of the 2 Tone sound, and the break-neck tempo, not to mention the underlying sense of menace, go on to influence the ska-punk movement which endures years after 2 Tone’s demise.

May

It’s festival season and nerves are clearly frayed at Pink Pop in Holland as the band pauses ‘Too Hot’ when a surging crowd topples the barriers in front of the stage. “We’d love to go home actually” announces a sarcastic Dammers, “we don’t do this for pleasure”. Hall is at his acerbic best claiming their new single ‘Rat Race’ has “sold about 12 copies in Holland”, and Brad plays the four to the floor beat on ‘Too Much Too Young’ with a relentlessly heavy hi-hat on the one, giving it an added head-banging quality (Panter had already likened the single version to Mötorhead).

July

Golding is attacked by racists during a night out in London, and winds up in A&E, but still braves a trip to Switzerland the next day to play the Montreux Jazz Festival. It’s not quite as hard as the Pink Pop performance, but there’s some heavy skanking in the crowd, a “guest” vocalist, and the makings of a stage invasion.

October

Speaking of invasions, as the crowd overwhelm the stage at the Veronica Festival in Amsterdam, it starts to give way. Back in the pit, the crowd are then treated to another speedy take on ‘Too Much Too Young’ which sounds like a race to the finish line.

From therein the future of ‘Too Much Too Young’ looks blurry. Aside the brazen big band swing of ‘Enjoy Yourself’ and Brad’s RnB outing ‘Sock It To ‘em JB’, the second LP was mostly a down-beat and often introspective affair. All three tracks on the Ghost Town EP were on the slow and dubby side, much closer to the original tempo of ‘Too Much Too Young’ from their days at The Hybrids and The Automatics, and the shows which followed on their final tour that summer reflected that.

During an interview after playing Horten Festival in Norway that summer, Terry claims “we never played ska”, much to the confusion of the interviewer, and no doubt most passing 2 Tone fans who happened to catch it.

From what I gather ‘Too Much Too Young’ was dropped from the setlist along with much of the moon-stomping material, as can be heard in a recording of their penultimate show in Staten Island in August ‘81. It seems strange to completely ditch their first number 1, though perhaps the knees-up numbers from their earlier days felt out of step with the new musak-infused tracks, and maybe this unwillingness to take the obvious route is where the real magic of The Specials can be found. That said, the Staten Island set still ends on an erratic rendition of ‘Enjoy Yourself’, just before they called it a day and moved on to pastures new. Silly moo.